Electrical connectors are critical to the performance of electronic devices and components in all fields of application. Specifically for aerospace, defense, and marine applications, electrical connectors often are high-quality precision components; if only a part of the connector is defective or outdated, it is cost-prohibitive to discard or replace the entire connector. Known modular electrical connectors thus have a casing and a connector module inserted therein. This arrangement permits maintenance or repair by exchanging the defective or no longer desired connector module for another one that is functioning properly or of another type. However, in known modular electrical connectors, disassembly is either cumbersome or impossible.
A known electronic module, for example for an in-flight entertainment system in an aeronautical application, is shown in FIGS. 7-11. The electronic module comprises a circuit carrier 201 with a substrate 202, for example a printed circuit board (PCB), that carries a plurality of connector modules 204 which are connected to different electrically conductive leads. One or more integrated circuits and/or other passive or active electronic components (not shown) are mounted on the substrate 202. The connector modules 204 are angular connector modules similar to those shown and described in international patent application WO 2011/160971.
The circuit carrier 201, as shown in FIGS. 7-10, is assembled in a two-part casing having a retainer shell 206 and a separate cover shell 208. As shown in FIG. 7, the circuit carrier 201 is mounted in the retainer shell 206 by sliding it into guiding grooves 210 in an inserting direction 212 which is essentially parallel to a mating direction of the connector module 204. The retainer shell 206 has a receiving passage 214 for each connector module 204. In a fully assembled state, the receiving passage 214 encompasses the connector module 204 and is formed to guide a mating connector into connection with the electronic module. Each of the connector modules 204 has a latch 216 for fixing the connector module 204 inside the receiving passage 214. The connector module 204 is thereby secured inside the casing against any movements in a direction opposite to the insertion direction 212.
The circuit carrier 201 is shown in its final mounted position firmly mounted in the retainer shell 206 in FIG. 8. The connector modules 204 are each locked within a corresponding receiving passage 214 and the substrate 202 is stabilized in the guiding grooves 210 on each side wall 218 of the retainer shell 206. In this locked position, the connector modules 204 can no longer be removed from the retainer shell 206 with destroying the electronic module 200. FIG. 9 shows how the latching means 216 interact with recesses of the receiving passages 214 for irreversibly locking the connector module 204. Moreover, it can be seen that by mounting the circuit carrier 201 carrying the connector module 204 within the receiving passages 214, undesired mechanical forces are exerted on the electrical contacts in a region where they are held within the substrate 202. These forces may cause deformation of the contacts.
In a next assembly step shown in FIG. 10, the casing of the electronic module 200 is closed by mounting a cover shell 208. The cover shell 208 is moved in the direction 212 until it has reached its final position. In the finally mounted position, the cover shell 208 is secured at the retainer shell 206 by locking protrusions 220, shown in FIG. 8, which engage with respective openings at the cover shell 208, and by a resilient snap hook 222. The snap hook 222 engages with a corresponding recess 224 provided at the cover shell 208.
The known electronic module 200 is shown in a final assembled state in FIG. 11. For maintenance or repair purposes, the cover shell 208 can be removed by actuating the snap hook 222 and subsequently removing the cover shell 208 in a direction opposite to the inserting direction 212. However, only repairs that can be performed at the inserted printed circuit board 202 are possible. The connector modules 204 can no longer be removed from the receiving passages 214.
Further, in international patent application WO 2011/160971, it is known to provide at the receiving passage 214 latching recesses that are accessible from the outside of each receiving passage 214 in order to allow for the latch 216 to be actuated. However, as each connector module 204 has its own latch 216, actuating the latch 216 of each connector module 204 at the same time and simultaneously pulling back the circuit carrier 201 is difficult and requires specific tools.